Ki Master (3.5e Prestige Class)

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The lecture hall was massive, with a wide floor in front, the battle master ready to show us, the elite and best amongst his students, his technique.

"I need a partner," he said calmly, his voice tranquil, his demeanor as smooth as water.

Genais, one of our strongest, arose. he nodded, walked over to the master. He was known for his durability. One man even hit him over the head with a barrel of pebbles once, and it didn't phase him. He smiled. "Good luck master," he said, bowing and settling into a stance, pulling out his staff.

The master smiled, thrusting his blue glowing fist, a technique we had seen before, but never from the other side of the room. We had also never seen the hand launch energy from itself and shatter a large metal hammer.

He smiled.

This was the day we learned of "qi" a power we would never again forget.

Powers: ki strike or ki blast or the ability to lay on hands (like a paladin's) or an eldritch beam (like a warlock's). A DM may feel free to let a non-spellcaster with an energy-based attack attempt this class at their discretion, including psionics of appropriate fitness.

Special: Must meet and spar with a ki master for at least three hours; must then consent to an "awakening" ceremony after proving oneself worthy.

Ki Strike (): As the monks, all unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike stacks with the character’s monk level, if he is a monk. The ability of shifting will allow to shift his key to any form unlocked. (For example, if our master were to hit monk level ten, he could willingly use the shift to change it to lawful. I he were to ascend to level 16 as a monk before hitting 10th level of Ki master, then he would be able to switch to adamantine using his ki shift at will.)

If a mindblade becomes a ki master, then her psionic blade is essentially her ki. She will learn Ki shaping Stone instead of sword at level 2. All ki abilities will apply to her mindblade, and allow for them to have default damage piercing. Un-like normal ki masters, her ki is as visible as her ki/psi blade, and it changes shaped accordingly (if she elects to use blunt, it appears as a club, if piercing, a dagger).

Ki Shift (Su): As a standard action, a Ki master may change his ki to any energy/material type specified. This applies to all ki-based attacks (including the monk's default ki strike) for overcoming damage reduction and regeneration as well as attacking vulnerable points. He will unlock new forms as he progress in his mastery of Ki.

The "positive energy" fist may be used to heal opponents or allies, but not one self. (You can't punch yourself in the ribs to heal yourself.) This is caused be cause the ki is an extension of your life-force, and cannot be used to extend your body.
Similarly, you can use a shift that you are vulnerable to (I.e. An treant using a fist of flame energy). However, you have a -d8 subtracted from your attack roll, as your own innate spirit dislikes your method.

A paladin takes Ki shift: magic in place of Ki shift: positive. Any Psion taking this class will have the default Ki setting of mental and will never be able to shift his ki to magic.

An evil or neutral character may take negative energy instead of positive at 5th level. He may not take both. An evil character may not take positive; a good cannot take take negative.

Flying fist (Sp): Each Ki master quickly learns the art of moving the ki strike form the body to the opponent without moving himself. This attack is equivalent to the base classes typical unarmed attack or weapon attack if he is channeling his weapon. (See ki weapon below for details on that.) Each time he unlocks a new version of the flying fist, he my roll one d20. This will determine how often he may use this technique per day. The range is 40 ft, and has a dexterity bonus applied to it.

At flying fist 2, he may use this technique with flurry of blows, if he has it. It will only count as one use of the technique, and his flurry of blows hitting minuses still apply. the range increases to 60 ft.

At flying fist three, he may channel the attack through his weapon, allowing him to do the damage of the weapon, including his ki weapon bonus. the range increases to 90 ft, and you may also apply a wisdom modifier to your attack bonus.

Ki shaping (Su): As a free action, a ki master may focus the shape of his ki to switch between Piercing (claw) or Slashing (sword). He always has access to blunt (Stone.), as this is his default attack.

Ki shield (Sp): A ki master of 3rd level or higher may produce a barrier of ki around himself. This barrier will have hp of 1d6/level of ki master. The hardness of this shell will be based on the hardness of the hardest substance the ki master can shift to (unless he has currently shifted to silver of mithral, in which case it will be that hard). The barrier is counted to be made of whatever he is using, and if positive, will heal 1 point of damage to all living things that touch it (excluding the ki master)and damage 1 point to all undead that touch it. A shield of fire deals 1d6 fire damage to any thing that touches it except for the monk. If the monk is especially vulnerable to fire, then he will receive 1d3 damage each turn.

Ki aura (Su): At sixth level, the ki master can use his ki to produce a faint aura. This will allow him to appeal more to beings of similar types. He gains a +2 for any charisma based skill of creatures with a similar type, or an affinity for his current aura, and -2 for any thing opposed to his aura. This bonus works in reverse with intimidate checks, as a dislike of their aura makes them slightly scarier. An aura can never be turned off, only change and shift to another type.

Ki Sense (Su): At seventh level, a ki master can detect auras similar to his own. He gains a +3 to spot and listen checks for any creature with affinities to the aura he is using, and +8 if it is a ki master using a similar aura.

Ki weapon (Su): At seventh level a ki master can add his 1d6 for every two levels of ki mastery to his attack with a weapon (not unarmed). he may also channel his ki when using the fly fist. The damage, however, will always be the same type as the weapon (blunt, piercing or slashing). The energy type will be the same as the ki, regardless of the weapons original energy. This technique does not apply to thrown weapons.

Ki double (Sp): At tenth level, the Ki Master has actually learned to duplicate his own life-force. this technique allows him to summon a duplicate twice daily. This summoning requires twelve rounds. The ki creature has hp, BAB, strength, and dexterity equal to three-fourths of the character. It will stay alive until summoned back, destroyed, or it's time ends. It may be summoned for up to two hours. It cannot use any ki master abilities without draining itself. For each time it uses a ki master ability, it loses ten minutes/per level the ability that is used. If it uses an ability that is different at multiple levels, then the version he is using determines the level (for example, using a normal flying fist would cost him twenty minutes, but applying the wisdom bonus would allow him to use it as level 3, taking away eighty minutes) If the minute count reaches negative or zero, the attack will function at partial damage if it is offensive, with a percentage taken out equal to the percentage of time that is below zero from the time deducted from the attack. It's type is consider as a construct with the subtype of whatever ki was being used at the time of summoning.

To summon a ki duplicate, a master must make a concentration check DC 20. he may use his ki shield to deflect attacks, but each attack taken is +2 to the DC of his concentration check. he must make this every turn, or fail. Failure stuns the Ki master for 1d4+number of rounds succeeded rounds.

The awakening is a rather simple mystical process. It can only be performed by a Ki master of level five or higher.

The Ki master will first choose the subject. He must then prepare an herbal mixture of a approximately thirty herbs. the material can be bought in most marketplaces, and cost approximately 6 gp. In certain areas far from forests and jungles, the herbs for the potion will be more expensive (DM's discretion and the environment).

The ki master must focus his ki to fire, light three normal candles, approximately one hour after the herbs are ingested, slightly faster for smaller creatures with quick metabolisms (halflings and gnomes) longer for larger creatures. Any creature with a size greater than large must take twice as much of the herbs for each size modifier, and wait on day per size modifier above large.

After the candle is lit, the ki master must charge all of his energy into a purifying blast. This blast will drain the ki master for a week, during which time the new student receiving his awakening will be forced to guard him. They may move, but the ki master will suffer from fatigue twice as quickly and exhaust under normal fatigue, so movement will be minimal at best.

After one week, the adventurer can train in ki mastery as a normal prestige class. He may not take any levels in anything during the awakening. If he does acquire experience in that time period, and level that would be gained during that time must be applied to ki mastery.